The Waggin' Tale

Our Story
Alli and Tedi

Hi, my name is Allister.  My name is Alli for short or sometimes AlliOOp.  I am a Dalmatian.  I am not like most Dalmatians; I have brown spots and green eyes instead of the usual Dalmatians who have black spots and brown eyes.  My Mom says I look like a movie star because I have a brown ring around both of my eyes – kind of like I’m wearing make-up.  I am a very calm as a Dalmatian.  I get lots of exercise and attention.  I like to run and play, but I also like my belly and ears rubbed. 

My name is TediBear.  My nickname is Tedi.  I am a yellow Labrador Retriever.  Alli is a few months older than I am.  When I got to my new home, there were two things waiting for me – a stuffed teddy bear (which I still carry around wherever I go) and a spotted dog who didn’t like me very much when she first saw me.  She kep knocking me over with her nose.  But now, Alli is my best friend.  We take good care of each other.  We wrestle and play together all the time and we are very good girls (except one time when we at the sofa, oh, and the other time when we ate the kitchen floor).

We have been with our family now for ten years.  I say about ten years because our tenth birthdays are only a couple of months away.  I cannot wait until my birthday.  We have a party with friends, hats, cake and special puppy ice cream (not real ice cream – that is not good for us) and the humans even sing Happy Birthday.

I have two brothers (humans) who love to sing to us.  My brothers like to play ball with us and chase us around the yard.  They are very careful not to jump on us or pull our tails or ears.  They are very gentle with us and we have lots of fun.  When my big brother came along, we were very jealous, but we are included in lots of things so we don’t feel left out (at least not too much).

One day when I was a young pup, I went for my check-up.  We get a check-up and our shots on a regular basis – it helps to keep us healthy.  The veterinarian said I needed to have x-rays taken because my hips felt loose.  The x-rays showed that I had something called hip dysplasia.

Hip dysplasia is found mostly in larger pups.  It basically means that I have trouble running and jumping like Alli because my hip and leg bones didn’t form properly when I was born.  I remember that day well because my moms were very upset.  Over the next year, I underwent two surgeries and lots of tests and x-rays.  My surgeries were very successful.  The surgeon (whom was recommended by our favorite veterinarian) put steel plates and lots of bolts in each of my hips so that I could run and jump like Alli.  Thanks to a wonderful surgeon and his staff, I received the very best care and lots lots of love. 

Since my surgeries, one when I was about a year old and the other when I was about a year and a half old, I am doing well.  I weigh 82 pounds, which is the perfect weight for my hips.  I can’t gain a lot of weight because my hips won’t support me.  I need to stay fit and trim.

All of that is behind us now and I am still catching up on my puppy hood.  I am extremely excited to report that I catch all the Frisbees that are thrown to me, except, of course, the ones that get thrown over the fence.  Alli doesn’t play Frisbee.  She likes football and soccer.  Sometimes we take the ball and run with it and our brothers chase us, but we are a lot faster than they are, because we have four legs and they have only two.

We stay very active and our family feeds us good chow.  My mom started cooking for us because she wanted to rebuild my strength after the surgeries and keep Alli healthy too.  We eat brown rice, vegetables, meat and chicken.  There was a lot of label reading when it came time to buying our food and treats, but with all the artificial ingredients, our food gets supplemented with a lot of other things – home cooking.

We hope you enjoy some of our favorite chow and treats.  They are good for us and we like them, but ask your favorite veterinarian if they are okay for you, incase you have any special conditions we don’t have).

We eat a lot of brown rice.  It is one of our favorite foods.  It is good for us and it helps us with tummy aches and growing pains.  Rice, like all foods for pets, should be given in moderation.  These treats and chow should not replace your favorite pet food, as daily nutrition and a complete diet is extremely important for your pets.